Tragic Accident at Cheese Factory Claims Owner’s Life
Romano di Lombardia, Italy – In a devastating incident at a cheese factory in northern Italy, the owner, Giacomo Chiapparini, lost his life when a staggering 15,000 wheels of cheese toppled over and crushed him. The freak accident occurred on Sunday when a shelf, standing at a towering 30 feet high, collapsed, triggering a domino effect that sent the massive rounds of grana Padano tumbling onto Chiapparini.
According to news reports, it took firefighters approximately 12 hours to move the heavy cheese wheels to retrieve Chiapparini’s body. Authorities in the small town of Romano di Lombardia were shocked by the tragic turn of events and shared their condolences with the victim’s family.
Each wheel of the hard, parmesan-like cheese weighed an astonishing 40 pounds, making the force of the impact fatal for Chiapparini. The incident cast a somber mood over the community, as Chiapparini was well-known as an esteemed cheese producer and an integral part of the local cheesemaking industry.
A close friend and neighbor of the victim, Bortolo Ghislotti, recounted the chilling moments leading up to the accident. Chiapparini and his son Tiziano, 50, rushed to the factory after receiving an alarm signal from a cheese-cleaning machine in the aging room of the warehouse. Upon resolving the issue, Tiziano left the site, leaving his father behind to restart the machine. Tragically, seconds later, a deafening noise echoed through the facility, revealing the heartbreaking scene of Chiapparini buried under an avalanche of cheese wheels.
Ghislotti shared Tiziano’s instinctual reaction, which likely saved his life: “He knows that if he got out seconds later, he would be dead too.” The harrowing incident has left the entire community in shock, grappling with this unimaginable loss.
In an interview with local publication Il Giorno, Ghislotti, who also serves as the president of the Bergamo agricultural district where the factory is situated, estimated that the mishap had caused approximately $7.7 million worth of damages. This sum includes the destroyed cleaning equipment crucial for the production process. Ghislotti revealed that local cheesemakers are banding together to transfer Chiapparini’s cheese to other storage areas with temperature control capabilities to prevent spoilage.
Chiapparini, survived by his wife, Angela, along with their children and grandchildren, established his cheese factory in the late 1970s. Renowned for producing high-quality grana Padano, Chiapparini crafted around 15,000 wheels each year. These wheels aged between 12 and 70 months using milk sourced from the cows raised at the factory.
The untimely demise of Giacomo Chiapparini has left the Italian cheese community and the entire town in mourning. His dedication to his craft and contributions to the local industry will never be forgotten, ensuring that his legacy lives on.